Whenever people ask me what my favourite Overberg beach or Western Cape coastal town is, there’s always a resounding favourite.

In fact, before they can even finish asking the question, I have fired out a single name: Struisbaai. And I say it with the all-seriousness of a true ocean lover.

If they even know about this small coastal town, they usually have a follow-up question, “Why Struisbaai; what makes it so special to you?”

Honestly, I don’t have any singular, clear answer to that. It’s a mystery even to me sometimes but it’s undoubtedly my happy place, my favourite beach town and a place I always returned to for at least fifteen summers straight. Now, it is a town my child will return with me to.

“I Could Retire Here”

In fact, in 2014, I boldly proclaimed it as the strongest contender for my future ‘retirement village’. And, even when someone pointed out to me that (at that stage, fresh in uni and still very much wet behind the ears in life) I hadn’t worked yet and so, couldn’t technically be thinking about retirement, I doggedly maintained: this is my place. It always has been, it always will be.

Why I Love Struisbaai

Everyone has that one place, I think. Their ideal family holiday destination or favourite beach town.

Well, this is mine. And I love all South African beaches, so picking an ultimate seaside destination is no easy decision for me.

Maybe it’s because my first clear memories of the seaside and day-long trips to the beach were born here in this quaint, little Cape Overberg town that (at least in 2011) only had a population of 3800-odd people.

Maybe it’s because the water is deliciously warm compared to the other icy waters around the Cape (especially in Cape Town).

Or the fact that the ocean is the most amazingly clear, breathtakingly beautiful aqua colour, akin to the hallowed waters of the Mediterranean.

(Forget, Langebaan – Struisbaai is my little Greek coastal town in South Africa.)

Before the Big Spenders Arrived…

Or perhaps, at least a good decade ago or so, it had something to do with the fact that the coastal town of Struisbaai – which falls under the Cape Agulhas Municipality as it is roughly 4-5 km away from Cape Agulhas, the very southernmost tip of Africa – was relatively untouched by modernisation and overdevelopment for years.

Sadly, I can no longer say the same as mansions and hotel developments spring up in Agulhas and Struisbaai, garish and jarring against the white-washed beach houses and humble shops. (Locals protest but the big spenders with the money-lined pockets always win, don’t they?)

Still, exhausting commercialism aside, maybe it’s down to the charm of the colourful fishing boats and the seaside houses with their amusing or pretty names like ‘Sea Goose‘, ‘Delta Princess‘ (my favourite) and ‘North Wind‘.

Or the quaintness of the lovely, thatched fishermen cottages and unique stone houses dotted about town.

Or maybe even the white-washed church that greets you as you enter Struisbaai – after driving through 30-odd km of relatively barren wasteland, with nothing more than sandy ground and fynbos vegetation, found outside of the nearest (more built-up) town, Bredasdorp.

An Overberg Town Where Time (Almost) Stands Still

Okay, fine. Maybe I just love this undeniably cute, little coastal settlement, where even today fishermen reside and continue to lead the same life that their fathers and grandfathers led before them. Seemingly oblivious to the perils of the ‘real’ world that exists beyond their humble everyday way of life.

They live with little more than the approach of the next terrifying storm to fear.

Although, that’s a pretty valid fear in these parts, especially if you consider that this coastline ever holds the power to wreck countless buildings and ships off nearby Cape Agulhas, just as it has done for centuries now.

While, in recent years, some unwelcome big development has sadly taken place in Struisbaai (as I noted earlier) – with its long stretches of pristine beach, colourful, age-old natural harbour and alluring, ‘warm’ aqua-green waters, stunning Struisbaai remains appealingly untouched by both time and worldly tribulations.

Some +/- 200 km south-east of Cape Town (a good four-hour drive, however you slice it though), Struisbaai is actually in some pretty good company with the likes of Cape Agulhas, a deserving tourist attraction all on its own, Napier, Elgin, Arniston, Gansbaai and Swellendam.

These towns, with the exception of Agulhas, are all located roughly an hour or so away.  Though they lie in different directions from this small coastal town.

Behind the Misty Haze…

One thing you have to understand about Struisbaai is that, as soon as you begin to leave Bredasdorp, you’re likely to encounter a kind of hazy cloud cover.

It’s almost a sea ‘mist’ at times even. For this murky look, it has the wilder coastline near Agulhas – a rather famous or infamous (depending on how you look at it) graveyard of ships – to thank for it.

Still, when that haze burns off and the wind settles (it can often get quite blustery here; I often expect to either end up with a mouthful of the beach sand or my own thick hair), Struisbaai is idyllic, with its smooth, soft white sands, dense fynbos vegetation, small town vibe and of course, the alluring water that shines as clear and fine as tinted chapel glass.

Three Main ‘Beach Sections’

There are three primary beach sections in Struisbaai. Or at least, that’s how I divide them up in my mind.

First, there’s the main Struisbaai Beach (which a large and popular campsite/caravan park overlooks).

Then there’s a more secluded beach on the right side of the harbour, the local fish shop (where you can buy the latest fresh catches of the day, though prices can be quite hefty) and the harbour restaurant.

Though, it must be said, its waters are used more for fishing and possibly angling than they are for recreational swimming (you can swim here but it isn’t super family friendly due to the stronger waves).

It stretches for miles and offers a real glimpse of the wilder, but no less beautiful waters, of Struisbaai.

There are also some gorgeous rock pools and more of the snaking wooden boardwalk to enjoy near here.

Finally, though, you have my personal favourite beach: the tiny, somewhat more sheltered stretch just beyond the ever-busy harbour, where fishing boats, jet skis and fishermen are always seemingly present.

Take a Walk on the Boardwalk

Another great, well-maintained addition to the Struisbaai beachfront is the wonderful, aforementioned wooden walkway, which leads off in opposite directions of the harbour.

Even in the worst breeze, it makes walking much easier and more enjoyable.

Say Hi to Parrie and Friends

The harbour, which has been there for many years and is simple but practical and sturdy in its design, is also famously home to a rather famous sea friend, who enjoys the nearby waters as much as I do.

His name is Parrie, a huge stingray. He is a well-known, popular addition to the colourful and quaint harbour. (He even has his own sign dedicated to him.)

Where once it was just Parrie, he now has several stingray buddies hanging about the harbour with him, all anxiously waiting for discarded bait and the like.

According to locals, the stingrays are most active here in the late afternoon, something I can confirm through recent first-hand experience.

The Tale of How Parrie Came Home

I am not too sure about Parrie’s origin story but, for as long as I have been visiting Struisbaai (since 2001 and then on and off over the years), Parrie has been there.

At one time, he was scandously removed and taken to an aquarium (I wouldn’t namedrop even if I knew) for ‘safekeeping’.

This angered local residents so much that they demanded he be returned to Struisbaai Harbour and, after some struggle, he was. (He doesn’t seem to have been greatly unsettled by this rude (though well-intended, I’m sure) interruption, though.)

Parrie has alluded my gaze for years but finally, when I returned with my own little family in the summer of 2026, he showed himself (and his friends, too) to us.

Almost as if he was welcoming the new guard and next generation of marine warriors, as my toddler gazed down at him, tiny mouth agape in wonder.

A Beacon of Note

Another relatively popular attraction near the harbour is the walled cement pier and distant red-and-white beacon, where you can watch fishermen patiently fishing. Or, if you prefer, where you can enjoy a leisurely stroll.

It offers a great view of the main beach and the harbour, which is always home to the aforementioned colourful boats that serenely float in the sheltered bay.

Discover the Sea’s Discarded Treasures

Although the sand dunes, adorned with their green shrubbery and sourfigs (a type of flowering groundcover), are certainly pretty, especially near the wilder stretches of beach, the little rock pools and rocky island that join the main harbour beach, at least during low tide, via a tiny stream, are beautiful and certainly fun to explore, especially for older kiddies.

A word of caution: The rocks can be quite slippery and the going is hard on bare feet.

Still, I love exploring this section, not just because it aids me in my almost religious seashell collecting but because of the sea creatures (hermit crabs, sea sponges and little starfish) and the ocean’s discarded treasures, like perriwinkles, which come to settle in the rock pools or cling to the rocks themselves.

Tread Carefully

I’ve seen numerous jellyfish, crabs, small fish (which allow you to get pretty close to them) and sea urchins to name just a few.

Also, bluebottles and jellyfish often wash up onto the shore here, so do be careful where you tread and don’t just blindly walk.

Dogs are often seen on the beach and twice I’ve seen two digging to Australia. (Though, needless to say, the sea made quick work of their holes.)

In Cape Town, most beaches only permit dogs on them at certain times of day (usually early morning or late evening when the beaches are most empty) but out in the country, everything is more relaxed and if anything, the excitable dogs add to the fun atmosphere.

Although the harbour beach is great for children because it is quite small, the water’s depth never really gets much deeper than the average adult’s waist even in its deepest part and the waters flowing through it are pretty calm and gentle – please make sure that your children stay on the right side of the bobbing buoys, which mark where you can and cannot swim.

Because the harbour is always busy with frequent fishing boats and fast-paced jet skis coming in and out from sea.

What’s in a Name?

Another detail it would be remiss of me to leave out of this review are the three historical suggestions behind the town’s name.

In Afrikaans, ‘baai‘ means bay so that’s easy enough to explain or even translate. But it’s the ‘struis‘ part that creates a small enigma. As a proper (hopelessly) English South African, I have often wondered what it meant. And it’s only now, in doing further research on Struisbaai online, that I discovered a possible explanation behind its name.

The first theory accredits the name ‘Struisbaai’ to the thatch/straw (‘strooi’ in Afrikaans) used for the fishermen cottages found along this coast.

The second theory is that the name has something to do with the ostriches (“struisvogel” in Dutch) that used to roam the area.

The third and final explanation, which is generally held as the most plausible, is that “the name was derived from an old Dutch word meaning ‘huge'”, no doubt given to it because of the area’s long beach stretches.

Although there’s possibly a grain of truth behind each theory, I feel this is last one is the most plausible reason why the town is called Struisbaai.

Especially when one takes into account the fact that it holds the longest beach, which stretches for about 14 kilometres, in the Southern Hemisphere… Not too shabby for a humble fishing town, eh?

A Summer Town in Every Season

Struisbaai knows how to celebrate summer though and especially during December and January, the town pumps with local- and foreign-visitors alike.

It also holds an annual ‘Geelstertfees‘ (or Yellowtail Festival), which is a nod to one of the most frequently caught types of fish in the area’s waters.

The Festival apparently revolves around food stalls (as every good festival should), local artists and musical performances.

Things to Do in and around Struisbaai

Still, other fun activities to enjoy in and around Struisbaai include: fishing, cycling, beach walks, horserides along the beach, hiking, paintball, quadbiking, diving, seasonal whale watching and, of course, safe swimming.

The nearby Cape Agulhas and Suiderstrand areas offer their own highlights.

These include the following attractions:

• Dreamy accommodation (we stayed in a local AirBnb with stunning sea views).
• Good local restaurants and cute cafes, which Struisbaai has a few of itself, mind you. There’s even a tiny Plato Coffee here now!
• The Agulhas lighthouse and its lighthouse museum, which you can visit for a small daily fee.
• The beautiful Cape Agulhas National Park.
• An incredible pebble beach further on.
• The opportunity to visit the ornate Map of Africa design, where you can also stand at the southernmost tip of Africa sign where the two oceans, Indian and Atlantic, famously meet.
• And lastly, the chance to see a shipwreck up close, to name but a few!

Perhaps it’s a little bit of this and more that makes Struisbaai uniquely special to me.

Whatever it is, there’s just something about this quaint, beautiful place (and its surrounds) that keep me coming back for more, sweltering summer after summer.

I hope you, too, have a few reasons to consider visiting Struisbaai and its Overberg surrounds.

But please, just leave it as you found it – and do keep it clean!

How It Rates

Oh, and as far as rating’s go, both as a travel destination and for its lovely beaches, Struisbaai gets a firm 10/10 rating from me.

But then, I am rather biased towards it, aren’t I..? 🙂

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